Google and Viacom have announced the end of a seven-year copyright violation lawsuit centered around YouTube with an agreement to settle out of court.

Viacom, which operates a variety of media properties including Comedy Central, MTV and Paramount Pictures, filed a lawsuit in March 2007 that sought $1 billion in damages from Google. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The agreement signals the end to a long and often publicly contentious battle. Viacom had alleged that YouTube was guilty of copyright infringement for allowing users to upload clips of its content and deliberately allowing it to remain on the site.

The case dragged on for years. In 2010, Google's CFO said the company had spent $100 million on the case.

Google and Viacom issued a joint statement on Tuesday that read: "Google and Viacom today jointly announced the resolution of the Viacom vs. YouTube copyright litigation. This settlement reflects the growing collaborative dialogue between our two companies on important opportunities, and we look forward to working more closely together."

Mashable
is a global, multi-platform media and entertainment company. Powered by its own proprietary technology, Mashable is the go-to source for tech, digital culture and entertainment content for its dedicated and influential audience around the globe.